Chet Atkins influence others

Answer 1

Chet Atkins' influence in popular music is so comprehensive that it is almost impossible to measure. Every aspect of music was directly and essentially changed. The significance of his influence is equivalent to that of Franz Lizst.

He began as a country guitar wizard, from a poor family. His father, stepfather, and brother were all professional musicians. He loved the jazz of Django Rhinehardt, and later, the fingerpicking of Merle Travis and Blind Lemon Jefferson. By the time he quit high-school to become a full-time musician around 1940, he was already one of the fastest technical guitarists living.

He struggled for many years against the narrow requirements of country music format, due to his eclectic tastes, but inevitably rose to prominence with the most innovative and important artists of the late 1940s, including the Carter family, and Hank Williams. Atkins played on every Hank Williams song recorded after 1950.

The early 1950s saw the birth of modern pop music, when Rock and Roll, emerged from Country music with Rhythm and Blues. At that critical moment, Chet Atkins created and defined a new type of musical profession: full-time studio musician. He played on thousands of records, and was often asked to hire the other musicians and lead the recording sessions; a job that later became formally defined by the title "producer".

His skill in this area was recognized by an executive named Steve Sholes, of recording giant RCA. Atkins was eventually promoted to the chief of RCA's Country Music label, which led directly to the creation of Nashville's major recording studios, called "music row". When Elvis Presley was hired by RCA, his first records were produced by Chet Atkins, with Atkins also playing guitar.

At the same time as he was inventing the role of the record producer, Atkins' own music matured dramatically. Despite being a great virtuoso on the instrument, Atkins became fascinated by the possibilities of the Electric Guitar tone, the expressive possibilities of the sound itself, as a central aspect of the musical expression, rather than simply fast and accurate playing.

Atkins developed a partnership with several instrument luthiers, including Gretsch instruments and Earl Butts' amplifiers, to produce an electric guitar with the most expressive and dynamic possible tone. Using and extending the innovations of Les Paul, this exploration led directly to a revolution in all areas of popular music. Acting as both artist and producer, Atkins established the electric guitar as the central instrument in pop ensembles. This was possible because Atkins had grown away from the fast, complex, frenetic styles originating in jazz, and demonstrated that the guitar was capable of rivalling the saxophone, the violin, or the voice, in expressive beauty.

"I think he influenced everybody who picked up a guitar."

- Duane Eddy

"Chet Atkins was the reason we came to Nashville. He was always our mentor."

- Phil Everly

"When I was coming up, I made a religion of the Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, and a lot of the sessions that Chet produced and played on. My whole sensitivity, my whole approach, my whole way of listening to music stems from all that."

- Mark Knopfler

Chet's style of picking has inspired so many guitarists throughout the world (myself included, but I didn't have enough fingers at the time).

- George Harrison

"One night there was a Perry Como special and there was this gentleman named Chet Atkins on the show. He had that beautiful Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar and he was playing the theme from "Dr. Zhivago". When he came on and started playing, it was like the way a person plays a piano. Nobody was singing and he was playing all parts on the guitar. Right from that moment I immediately knew that this was what I wanted to do. I was 13 at the time. It changed the course of my life."

- Earl Klugh

"My old man brought home one of your records when I was a kid and I played it and that's why I'm a guitar player."

- Ted Nugent (spoken to Chet Atkins)